The Raven Card
by Bookdragon2
Summary: The human world has been under the rule of the strange beasts of the north for too en is looking for a way to end their rule.When the time come to be sold as slaves and taken to the other world, will she catch the eye of the least expected meone holding the raven card...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

After a whole lifetime of poverty Gwen was used to being rumbles of her empty stomach were drowned out by the howling winds of the sea,like wolves formed from water they crashed their translucent bodies against the pebbled through the thick layer of mist surrounding the moors.

Sixty long years her people had lived in starvation and fright,fright of what lurked beyond the lapping thought made her shiver,three had three days left,until they would arrive in their boats,bigger than villages,armed with the deadliest weapons and carrying the most terrible of if you could even call them that,they were monsters,creatures that prefered the shadows and the smell of rotten .

Here she stood on the boundary between the worlds,gazing onto the bleak nothingness which her people called the end of what,exactly?Humanity?

The rusting sword at her side felt too heavy,like it was pulling her towards the ground trying to anchor her to this world before she was dragged into the ends of her tattered cape blew around her ankles,it had come too moon was almost upon them all and there was nothing they could do,last night it had already shone a light pink the next few nights that blood colour would grow stronger,until it would be as red as a cherry,or a ruby, or blood.

The demon ships would sail down to the wash and where she was standing,Gwen looked down at her toes wrapped in pieces of thin broken to even be considered as boots,she now understood why the gods had didn't care anymore.

Nearly all animals were gone,no food or that surrounded her remote town were marshes,bogs and and teaming with bugs,so sticky that if you even dared cross over one you would be dragged to your many foolish people had lost their lives that way,the countless stories of lost ancient treasure that had lured those seeking riches into the marshland.

She twisted around spotting her cousin's blonde head among the purple sea flowers,her perfect brow furrowed in had been trying to find partially edible plants for the past ten minutes and had already taken three brakes.

"It had to be so far away,didn't it,"she glared at the small island far out into cousin had never been a reliable person so to say,far too worried if her skin was free from pimples than what they would eat for pushing away the roasted squirrel and later saying she was famished.

"What? the island?"Gwen said walking up to her cousin and sitting down onto the long seagrass.

The island,it had no real had tried experimenting with different names,like 'The island of mystery' or 'The island of flightless birds.'But nothing really stuck,it felt all too grand for a little heap of pebbles.

"What else would I be talking about?"she hissed, "If those stupid birds could fly we could get a few of those to eat then sell some more,only if they would get off that island!"

Apart from pebbles the island was inhabited by birds,flocks of white one had ever seen a bird leave the island,not for one thousand a single white feathered bird left the island or the waters nearby.

"By _we_ do you mean me?like you would ever even dare to try and swim out there,"Gwen smirked.

"I would," chirped a voice from peered over her shoulder and sitting with his skinny legs tucked under his chin sat her little brother, was only nine and insisted he come out on these trips?huntings?there wasn't really a right word because they never caught anything because there was nothing.

"It doesn't matter anyway for you two,you'll be gone in two nights anyway,"He said stupidly,immediately regretting it as he saw his cousin's face fall.

"He doesn't mean it Cassie,"Gwen murmured patting Cassandra awkwardly on the shoulder,all these years of preparation had not readied became as weak as a flower in the mid winter when you mentioned Red Moon,it was if reality hit her straight in the face when those words rolled off your had that gift everyone wishes for:for thoughts not to bother her,but as soon as you remind her it enters her mind making it fragile like glass.

Cassie brushed back her golden locks,her blue eyes shimmering with continued to stroke her luscious yellow waves,scrunching up her face.

"I'm no ready to g-go not yet,"Cassandra gulped,swallowing the lump in her throat.

Cassie was never ready for anything,not for trying a trade maybe she was good with sewing or pottery or cooking but she had never Gwen had cut off all her hair and sold it,she had spent the money her cousin had made from it,on a rabbit's good luck,but Gwen already knew long ago that luck was long dead.

Gwen had tried almost every trade,hoping for a hidden to no avail none came,she was completely rubbish at could throw a good punch but demons didn't take humas for fighting unless it was to fill out their armies,to pad it out with bodies.

Gwen sighed, hopefully this year she wouldn't be taken,some lucky one escaped until the next year rolled mother and father always dressed it up to be worth it,seven years of slavery then parseled back to the continent with enough money to by a pair of second hand shoes.

"Try everything,"her mother had always told her and Cassie, "Show them what you can do,you may earn extra money show them how good you can be."

Gwen's parents always made parital slavery seem like a good thing,like it was something to be proud of if you got a famous had always blubbered throughout the entirety of all these convocations nodding at the 'important' parts,Gwen just sighed and tried not to count the .Days now,two nights left.

Cassie's crying could not drown out the crashing of the sea,her beautiful face tear streaked and hid his face in his hands,while Gwen glared at knew how sensitive the subject was,how he would be the same in eight his seventeenth year rolled around.

"I think Finn,you are going to have to find a better hunting spot than The wash,"Gwen finally said breaking the gathering silence.

The gave a ghost of a smile,his auburn hair falling into his eyes. "But this is the only place with no people,they're all too scaredy unlike us."

The common people of their village and surrounding areas had ravaged the forest,tearing down the few trees and food and shelter for their ever quickly growing population,the only place no one dared enter was the wash,or demon port as some folk called it.

Gwen dragged a hand through her short almond-brown hair,listening to the was a bit crazy coming here,but there was nothing to be afraid of apart from on red nights.

"Do you want to go home?"she asked Cassandra quitely,Cassie just sniffled which she took as a up her cousin,careful not to make her trip on her long skirts.

"Already?!We haven't even caught anything,"Cried Finn enjoyed these trips more than anyone,a time to get away from their crazy parents and cramped school master yelling at him as he crawled out the window and fled down the street,until Alfred Gibbs (the owner of the local pub)had caught him by the back of his shirt and dragged him all the way back.

"Finn,shut up,"Growled Gwen,shoving her cousin's arm over her shoulder.

"But..But...I could stay,to find things!"

"Don't be a pain!"Gwen said angrily,stomping through the grass.

Finn was silent for a moment then hissed under his breath, "Why does _she_ have to come?"

"You know why,"Gwen snarled.

"Just because she parents are dead doesn't mean she can't do things,your friend Jacob Gibbs, can still hunt and stick up for himself even though he lives with his uncle."

There was a muffled cry from Cassie,Finn was quite once more.

"Just come home,"

Finn gave a sigh and shook his head,he wasn't always the wild child he could be he knew when to all the time,but most of it anyway…

They trundled down the grassy path back home,empty yet another hungary night…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Night had fallen by the time they had spotted the dim lights of the town,swaddled in mist the buildings stood crooked and dark with tiny friendly lights glimmering in the windows.

The entrance of the town was no more than a creaking wooden fence,that should have fallen down years ago but denied to do Andrews pigs snuffled in their shelter,squealing and grunting at the three figures coming through the fog.

Gwen,Cassie and Finn weren't the only people could see a tall and cloaked man coming towards them,face covered in the with legs like bean poles,he raised a hand to wave at them.

Before she could move her lips to ask who it was,Finn had already answered her question.

"Jacob!"Finn cried out running towards him.

"Hey North Junior!"Jacob laughed patting him on the head as if he was a dog.

Finn did follow Jacob as if he was a lost puppy whenever he got a chance,when they farther occasionally got a scrap of money from his wood carving business he would go down to the local bringing Finn with him for a hour or two,Finn would trot home babbling about how Jacob did this and how he could do that…and the one story of how he let him touch his sword which his one thing Gwen's father would never let her brother do.

Jacob looked at Gwen his eyes creasing when he gave her his lopsided smile, "Hey, North senior."

Gwen tightened her grip on her sisters arm, "I told you not to call me that yet,i'm not that old!"

He laughed along with Finn, "Anyway did you catch anything today?"

"Well Gibbs junior,does it look like it?"She waved her free hand, "Nothing as usual and I am not touching the fish in that sea."

"The fish isn't that bad,"Jacob said.

"You had a fever for a week and nearly vomited on my head as I walked under your bedroom window."

"What were you doing under my window,aye?!Spying on me?"he said with fake sarcasm.

"I was going to see how much I could get for a deer brain,there were some travelers in the area."

"Oh,"he looked a bit green for a second,that was one thing Jacob had vowed never to eat no matter how starving he .

Cassandra groaned her head lolling to one side,Jacob just stared at her.

"How is she going to survive Red Moon?"He said shaking his head, "She fainted again while in a crying fit didn't she?"

"Third time this week,"Grumbled Finn.

"Promise me when you turn seventeen you won't be anything like her,"Jacob said pulling down the hood of his cape revealing his straight black hair.

"I will be brave,"Finn stated even though Gwen had caught him crying about it sometimes,she just told him it wasn't for years and he would be and over until he fell asleep.

"Did Cassie actually try any trades?She could like make hats or something,or maybe there's a profession for being a drama queen?"he said staring at Gwen.

Gwen shivered, "No,I don't no what will happen to me either I am useless at everything they trialled us in."

Jacob stepped over to her and took Cassie from her,throwing her over one of his shoulders as if she was nothing but a sack of potatoes.

"You will be okay,maybe they will put you two together?"

"Do even give me the thought,"Groaned Gwen pulling her tattered red cape around her shoulders.

Jacob put a dark hand on her shoulder, "You will be fine."

His warm brown eyes gave Gwen a spark of hope for a moment but it was gone as if someone had just extinguished it like a candle.

They strolled down the muddy lane and through the knots of houses falling to pieces by the of the houses on this street had been fixed for years,just planks of wood covering the cracked windows as a child Gwen had dreamed of leaving their hometown and moving to a big city somewhere far where Red Moon didn't exist and she or anyone else would never be forced into slavery,she would have a big fluffy with gold stripes and a endless stock of chocolate covered raisins.

Gwen had never eaten a chocolate covered raisin but her teacher told her of when he was living in the demon capital city working in a kitchen for a rich lord and had eaten a chocolate covered always went off in tangents on how amazing it was and how losing his left arm was worth it and he was lucky to be alive.

That day after school Gwen had ran come and stole a pen and ink from her father's room and a scrap of paper and had draw out her hurt her hand to write and it was barely legible but she signed her initials and address,but she did not mind when she would be sent away to the demon world-they would give her a rug and raisins.

Maybe there where some good demons?her childish mind had thought,they would let her have her had shoved the small piece of parchment into a precious glass bottle and thrown it out to that someone would find it.

Her mother and father had given her a long talk afterwards,how you had to try hard to get a good position in the demon world but they wouldn't necessarily give you whatever you wanted.

Gwen still hoped to try a chocolate covered raisin one day but the chance of that was almost impossible,she didn't really know what chocolate was or raisins tased like or even look teacher's description had been vague,brown and small.

Finally they reached her house,it was on the other side of and ancient it should have been demolished years ago,the window glass had been sold and there were patchy wooden planks replacing it.A large sign hung over the door:

Woodworking

Was embellished in faded green letters,her father's business had never made much pushed open the door,the inside was the same as ever her parents huddled over a tiny spluttering fire as her father slept still holding a half finished carving.A tin tub sat near the door,for washing in which wasn't done regularly enough.A horsehair mattress lay in the corner under the half floor as Finn called it,where Cassie and Gwen slept on a pile of moth eaten blankets, you had to use a ladder to get up only over pieces of furniture were two chairs and a wardrobe the wood cracked only barering a few items of clothes,everything else had been sold.

"Cassie?!"came Gwen's mothers startled voice she hurried to the door pulling Cassandra off Jacob's shoulder.

"Cassie are you okay!?"Gwen's mother gently slapped her face,Cassandra just gave a muffled groan.

"Gwenhwÿfar,what did you do this time?!"she hissed.

"I didn't do anything!Finn just mentioned Red Moon that's all!"

Cassie gave another groan.

"Finnley you know how…"His mother paused, "Delicate your cousin can be and Gwenhwÿfar…"

She turned her fierce blue eyes on Gwen, "You shouldn't have let him say that."

"How was I supposed to stop him,I'm no demon,I can't read his mind!"

"You are his older sister,you should take more care."

Finn coughed and spoke up, "It's not her fault,cousin Cassie is just a wimp."

Jacob tried to stifle his laugh at Finn's brutally honesty but failed,he was such a clown at times.

"Thank you Jacob, for your help,"Gwen's mother said through her teeth, a nice way of saying 'get out of my house'.

"Sure Mrs North anytime,"He turned winked at Gwen and sprinted down the street.

Gwen's mother shook her head,Cassie's eyes were opening a bit.

"Cassie are you okay!?You're home dear,you're fine here!"

Gwen rolled her eyes at her brother who smiled.

"Whatever you managed to find today just put it by the door,"Their mother said quietly.

Gwen raised her eyebrows.

"What did you find?"her mother murmured patting Cassandra's head.

"Air,"Gwen said.

Her mother turned around, "It isn't funny we haven't eaten anything but grass in days."

"Then why don't you find something?"Gwen said softly her mouth slightly parted showing her few wonky teeth.

"I'm injured,"her mother hissed florshing her hand towards her leg.

"Doesn't look that bad,"Finn chirped

"Go,just go,both of you"She mumbled dragging Cassie to the mattress.

"Looks like your with me,unless you want to sleep with Mum and Cassie on the hairy sponge,"Gwen said climbing the ricky ladder.

The hairy sponge that's what they called the mattress,it looked like a yellowing bar of soap with the horse hair sticking out at wild angles.

Finn's face crumpled, "Nope."

He followed Gwen up the ladder and nestled into a blanket,Gwen secretly loved it up was cold and damp,Cassie would roll about and lying on top of her,her parents would snore loud enough to make the house she could see the stars from here,you could go outside and peer at the sky,but it wasn't the same.

Here was her private little stargazing pad where she could wish to her heart's though she believed luck was dead,sometimes she would wish on the occasional falling wish had been the same (Apart from the chocolate raisin thing when she was seven)she had been smart enough to know that there was no way of getting out of going to the demon world beyond the she wished for a good job there,something a ladies maid or something,there was one job though that paid better than any.

No one had been chosen in thirty five years ,if a buyer pulled a Rave meant they belonged to the guild of raven,assassins and spies for the royal family but few believed they actually of them took humans anyway apart from that one time years ago.

"Gwen?"Asked Finn through the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"Why does mum hate us?"

Gwen dragged the blankets closer over her face, "She doesn't hate us she...is delicate."

"What?!Like Cass,a wimp?"

"Something of the sort,I think she likes Cassie more than us."

She heard her brother squirm around making the wood creak, "So if were blonde and fainted a lot she would like us just as much?"

"Maybe not,if we listened to her and were polite."

"That's dumb,"Finn said the blankets muffling his speech.

"I agree,If we were Cassie's who would get the food?We would all be dead."

"We barely find anything though,"He yawned.

"Sometimes we do,enough to stay alive."

Finns's response was, "Mmm"

So Gwen stopped talking she tried not to think about what was coming up,Red bothered her some nights,others it didn' tried to force it from her mind,it would come whether she didn't want it to approach or she was no way of freezing swallowed her as quickly as the minutes to her doom ticked...


End file.
